Score!!

 Hello people!  Ever since I caught a glimpse of Ewe  & Eye Christmas Sampler from our favorite Serial Starter, I've been searching.  Today, score!  Ebay offered several charts for $9.95 including shipping.  Stitching Bits and Bobs have a huge variety of their charts including this one and Christmas Spot, but $8 to ship two little charts always stops me.  Not knowing for sure if they are in stock (you never know for sure) I decided to just grab the Ebay offer before it sells.  I am so sorry I sold all those sweet designs with houses.

Problem with this guy.  Every year we have to deal with critters taking over the houses and you would think my nasty disposition along with being nowhere near petite would have him running.  Nope.  He went into the house.  We rocked the box, banged on the wooden shelter, he was not leaving.  I had to offer stew!  That did it.  But how do we keep him out?  He started scratching the styrofoam and you can see the white bits on the deck.  Maybe this is the same one from last year.

Have a good evening!!

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You were right

Thank you!  Rust was the preferred color, and it is absolutely the right choice.  I didn't release the spool huggers from the rolled top area but when I did, oh my.  The blue would have been very distracting and overpower the softer colors but really didn't see that until viewing the entire piece.

With the outer border being the same, this rust will be perfect.

I've been stitching with breaks this afternoon, but struggling.  By bedtime, this entire bottle of drops will be used.

I am using a larger needle, easier for me to hold, but this floss is nothing like before.  And I offered hundreds of my excess old DMC, never imagined it would be preferred.  This example of separating and then breaking off is after two pulls to remove.  Time after time this happened and the 500 is doing the same.  In my decades of stitching exclusively with DMC, and the tremendous amount of frogging, this may have happened twice when tugging hard.  With the new floss, nine out of ten times!  My eyes were not this bad when I began Elizabeth, no frogging, so I don't know if the rust shreds.

Carole is having breathing difficulty again and is calling Cleveland Monday, could be taking her soon.  Rules may still be one person per patient, and depending on how I feel I may stay home anyway.  Mark is very concerned knowing that I cannot take the vaccine and doesn't mind taking her himself.

This is an old photo of the Nit, but maybe how some are feeling today.

Or maybe curling up with another feels better.

Enjoy the first weekend of the new year.  And that's the last reference to 2021.  Do you tire of hearing about it?  It's just a number reminding us of how quickly we're aging.

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Another month closer to summer

 Does that make a nasty crabass smile?  Not even that.  But I have hope that eventually, it will.

So here we are.  Made it to the new year.  I don't belong to the gregarious groups that enjoy celebrating and hosting great parties for the new year.  Good thing or I'd really be ticked.  It's almost midnight and the cats are in the garage condos, my single Advil is not doing much, and stitching is extremely frustrating.  I need to make a change, hoping to get your opinion.

The thread is too similar to the linen.  I am removing more stitches than placing, always one thread off.  The DMC never shred like this before but since I moved to a higher count linen, maybe that's why.  The friction being pulled through a smaller hole must weaken it?  Who cares why.  It shreds!

I have one more full row and New Jersey in the last before changing to the dark green for Adam ......

There isn't much beneath that (blue box) of the problem thread but I must change the color.  Because of all the dark green in that area, I think continuing with it would be too much.  Do you agree?  My other options are the blue in the alpha and single border encasing the body, or the 400 that I am using in the outermost single border. 

Their bodies and the border flowers in the very light thread do not show in this photo and I plan to use an even lighter thread for contrast.  So what should it be.... blue? ..... or rust?   

Help!!!

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Success!

 Thanks to a thoughtful reader (thank you Terri) who emailed with online shops to try, I ordered both of the charts I wanted and a piece of R&R American Chestnut!!  I've heard the color is very nice but you know I'm nutsy about a pink cast in linen.  Here's the way it usually goes ....  if I order a large piece, never happy .... if I order a very small piece, love it, sold out.  So I expect the same to happen.  

I called to see how everyone liked their gifts and if any need exchanged, seems like they were pleased.  The only exchange may be Matt's jeans and trousers for length.  It's tough when you're length is not an even number.  Matt 2 loved his Minecraft shirts more than anything else and I was lucky to find such a variety.  Minecraft?  Totally clueless.

And this newly built house will protect the heated one for Petey and have a place for food dishes.  Most of the wood was cut before assembling in the basement. The houses claim to be weatherproof and sort of waterproof but I never trust that.  Husband has a closet of waterproof down and fleece outfits (he used to hunt) that we need to sell, amazes me that no water gets through. 

Last day of the year!!

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy 2021.

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Browsing

Hiya.  

If you'd like an answer to your question, please use the link in the right column to email so I can reply.  Anyone interested in the Biblical Wreath print, sepia or colored, can message them and order here.  

https://www.facebook.com/Christmasinthebarnok

My order was well protected and shipped promptly.

It's very time consuming to browse for charts.  Much easier to see a design I would like on stitching group sites or IG, but I miss so many others.  This evening I plan to check samplers and Christmas categories to start.  Should be through them all by March.  

I placed an order at 123 for a few small linen pieces and two charts.  Waiting for Erica Michael's St. Nick's on linen and Abby Rose Primitive Merry Christmas.

That one calls for PTP Brash but it looks great on this also.

If you've been looking for PTP Murky, 123 has it.  I've been checking for a while for BBD Frosty's Night Out, ordered the Murky, but changed my mind about the chart.  

I think I'll do more browsing, but it bugs me to pay $4 to ship a single chart from each seller.  With limited inventory of linens and charts, it's not easy finding them all in one or two shops.

Hoping your year end will be peaceful!  Mine will be too.  But not today.

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Free charts question

and other boring stuff. 

Hello people.  Just a few more days before 2020 is over, but I don't expect 2021 to be any better for quite a while. 

If we do not expect betterment, even the slightest improvement will create joy and hope.  If we are expecting great things, the slightest improvement will not be appreciated.  

crabbass.... 9:09

As mom would say - "mark my words Flossy".

So.  I am no worse, other than hot flashes clashing with chills, like an ice bucket bath after a sauna.  But I can't take my favored remedy.  I am again hoping my continued decline is from a temporary cause.  Much worse today and possibly from the cold med antihistamine so I stopped it.   

The last two gift bags were picked up tonight along with that yellow container of stew for Carole and fresh Italian bread.  Adios!!  Mark was busy making another wood "shed" to hold the new heated house and I didn't want to get near anyone, so pickups were left by the door after spraying them silly with Lysol. 

I still haven't heard a word from the adults and that ticks me off.  Every year I ask them to at least inform me if the sizes are correct, allow me to exchange if not.  Never happens.  This evening I have a few things to order and since every cat has claimed a house, need to order another.  That large A-frame holds several but every time one tries to squeeze in, the house starts a rockin.  They drive me nuts.  Mobile vet is closed but will bring his trailer here next week and determine what should be done with Bud.  

Stitching is very slow, little by little, or I will lose interest again.  I'm ordering a few items from 123, Instagram is very enabling.  And so confusing.  Comments are mixed with likes, and replies listed are not with the original comment, and for some members I can't get the reply box to appear.  Make it easier and organized please.

My question, at the very end, is if anyone has had a problem printing my free charts.  It was brought to my attention and after some checking, google/blogger has changed the way the photo opens and there is a difference depending on browser.  I use Chrome now and made a few adjustments to the charts, please let me know if there are any others not printing properly.

Sun was out briefly and Mark told me to bundle up and get in the car.  He picked up my mouth gel order, a few food items, and went into Kohl's with Carole's returned gift and my Amazon return.  It was actually good to be out after a week, came home with several iced coffees for the fridge.  I really missed the after Christmas sales, usually when I stock up on tissue and such.  

Jackie, you requested how I recessed the lid on the shaker box.  This post explains and has photos.  https://samplers-and-santas.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-6-round-box-redo.html

Celebrate the final days of 2020, twenty years after Y2K.  Does not seem possible.  

Why are we aging so fast?

Stay safe.

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